Episode 29 of She’s My Mother-in-Law, but I Don’t Want Any Conflict
As far as I could recall, I had only spoken to a handful of men with such a large build—and none of them had left the same impression as this one.
That meant he either resembled someone I had briefly encountered or passed by in the past.
But no matter how much I thought, I couldn’t place him. It felt like trying to recall a déjà vu from a dream.
‘…Did he just look up here?’
The man’s head tilted up slightly.
It was a small movement, but because I’d been watching him for a while, I noticed it. It seemed as if he was looking up at the second-floor drawing room where I was.
Whether he felt my gaze, or it was a meaningless gesture, I couldn’t tell because his hair partly obscured his eyes.
“……”
And so, for the few minutes until Jane returned, the man and I remained locked in a strange, silent standoff.
When Jane followed Anna back into the drawing room, she didn’t sit down. Instead, she bowed her head and apologized.
“I’m sorry for the interruption…”
“It’s alright. Would you like more tea?”
“No, thank you. It seems the delivery is finished, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Well, it had been quite a while. She must be busy with work at the merchant group, so I couldn’t keep her any longer.
“Thank you again for another insightful conversation.”
“…Sure.”
Truthfully, I’d been more of a listener than a participant in that conversation. I did enjoy hearing about what was going on outside, but I wasn’t sure what part of the talk had been so beneficial to her.
When I gave an awkward nod, she offered a faint smile and stepped outside.
After watching her politely take her leave, Nata turned to me and spoke.
“…Is that lady a full-fledged merchant?”
“Oh, right. I hadn’t introduced her to you yet.”
It was Jane’s first visit since Nata had started working beside me.
He had been busy being briefed by the other knights, so I hadn’t had a chance to tell him about Jane.
I gave him a brief summary of how I came to know her.
“She must be having a hard time. Managing a business at that age…”
“She’s working with limited capital too, so it hasn’t been easy.”
“That may be, but there are… some issues with that merchant group, Goldrail.”
“What kind of issues?”
That was news to me. I knew they were nouveau riche who had only recently gained noble status, but I didn’t know any deeper details.
“Well… there’s a lot of ambiguous stuff. I’ll compile what I’ve heard and let you know. Most of it’s from rumors within the army.”
“Alright, no rush.”
Better to have some information than none at all.
I stood up from the sofa, thinking to take a walk in the garden now that teatime was over—when someone knocked on the drawing room door.
“Come in.”
The person who carefully entered was a servant.
“Madam, a guest has arrived.”
“Now?”
I hadn’t heard anything about someone coming today. When I tilted my head in confusion, the servant spoke hesitantly.
“It was a sudden message. They said they’d like to see you now…”
“Who is it?”
“Baroness Rollan.”
It was quite surprising that the baroness—who specialized in teaching etiquette—would drop in so suddenly.
If it had been anyone else, I might have hesitated, but for the baroness, the situation was different.
I ordered the table to be cleared and preparations made to receive a guest again.
The baroness arrived 30 minutes later.
‘Should I say it’s just like her to at least send a message so we could prepare a bit?’
Despite the sudden visit, the baroness appeared without a single flaw.
Wearing a dress with razor-sharp pleats, a neatly placed hat, and gloves that covered the backs of her hands, she gave me a slow, graceful bow.
“I apologize for dropping by unannounced.”
“No, it’s alright. If it’s the baroness’s business, I’ll always make time.”
“Thank you.”
Her stiff expression finally softened. Usually, she’d start by asking how I was, but this time, she got straight to the point after sitting on the sofa.
“I’ve come to ask a favor.”
“Please, go ahead.”
A request from the baroness.
I already owed her in many ways, so I tried to put her at ease and invited her to speak freely.
She stared into her teacup with eyes so somber, they almost looked devastated, and finally spoke.
“It’s regarding a student I’m currently tutoring.”
After we met, she had taken on a new student.
He was the son of a wealthy baron family from the northwest, currently attending the academy—but entrusted to her for private tutoring.
The reason he was pulled from school and placed in her care was complicated. Due to his family’s circumstances, he was already engaged, and they wanted him to learn proper manners early on.
“You teach boys too?”
“Manners don’t discriminate by gender.”
So true.
In any case, this child was even boarding at the baroness’s residence to receive training—but that’s when the problems started.
“He has no manners.”
The baroness gave what was likely the harshest evaluation she could make.
“He has a good eye for the arts, excellent academics, and is exceptionally talented for his age… but he’s terribly rude. He shouted at the servants for not following orders and even made a fellow student cry.”
“How old is he?”
“Twelve.”
Wow. A rebellious preteen. I could already imagine how tough that must be from an educator’s perspective.
“So, the favor is…?”
“I would like you to meet with him. Just once.”
“Me?”
I couldn’t see the connection at all. My voice trailed off in surprise, but she nodded slowly.
“You possess everything he lacks. If I were his parent, I would’ve entrusted him to your care without hesitation.”
“You flatter me…”
A severe overstatement. Trying to discipline a rude child was something I’d had enough of in my past life.
I remembered how hard it was to find the smartphone hidden inside a pencil case or a pack of cigarettes stashed inside a fire extinguisher at the cram school.
And I had no idea why she thought so highly of my personality—it had nothing to do with being a good educator.
“Please, I sincerely apologize for this sudden request. But I’m at my limit.”
The baroness ran an etiquette boarding school, and it seemed that the baron’s son had become too much to handle.
In fact, the longer he boarded there, the worse his behavior became—and eventually, it was affecting the other students’ learning.
“Can’t you just apologize and send him back?”
“His father, the baron, is a key donor to several children’s institutions at my recommendation. So…”
I’d heard the baroness often volunteered at those institutions.
So, she couldn’t easily refuse his request as a benefactor.
“I understand. But did something big happen? You seem a bit rushed…”
“He got into a fight with the other students. I couldn’t keep him there any longer… I truly apologize for coming without notice.”
“No, it’s alright.”
The baroness was even sweating—so the fight must’ve been quite serious.
When children fight, the first thing to do is separate them, I suppose.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or burdened that she came to me instead of another noblewoman.
“I understand the situation is complicated. Have you discussed this with the baron?”
“He responded by making another huge donation to the children’s center, saying he trusted me.”
“Well… of course.”
Felt like something I’d seen before. Rich parents are the same wherever you go.
“Since he entrusted me, the student’s education is my responsibility. If things go wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
So I couldn’t even use the parents as an excuse to turn her down. I hesitated, looking troubled, and the baroness lowered her head again.
“If you could just speak with him once…”
“Please, lift your head. Alright… I understand.”
Never in my life did I imagine the baroness would come to me with such a ridiculous request. Honestly, it would’ve been more reasonable if she’d asked for a loan.
‘Or maybe she just has a lot of pride as an educator.’
I guess there were teachers like that in my old life too. Even when they struggled with a difficult student, they never gave up as long as they still cared.
A teacher who could admit their own limitations and swallow their pride for a student. That’s the kind of person the baroness was.
“I’ll meet him. But don’t expect too much. I’m not very good at saying inspiring things.”
“Of course.”
I had no idea what she saw in me, but this was going to fail. I had learned firsthand in my past life just how hard it was to console a child going through puberty. I warned her again and again not to get her hopes up.
“By the way, where is the student now?”
“I brought him with me. I couldn’t bear to leave him alone at home… I told one of the servants, so he should be waiting about now—”
Clatter!
